1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for separating a ribbon-coated multicore optical fiber having a plurality of fiber strands into a plurality of fibers.
2. Related Background Art
As optical fiber cables have a larger number of cores therein, there has been increasing demand for a ribbon-coated multicore optical fiber in which a plurality of fiber strands are arranged in a flat shape and integrated together. In order to improve its handling when being disposed within an optical fiber cable, for example, such a ribbon-coated multicore optical fiber has an increased number of strands within the coated fiber and is branched at an end portion of the optical fiber cable and also at the middle of the cable so as to be used as being connected to a multicore ribbon-coated optical fiber having a small number of strands or to a single-core fiber. For example, a plurality of conventional ribbon-coated 4-core optical fibers (in which 4 strands are arranged) or ribbon-coated 12-core optical fibers have been connected in parallel to each other to form ribbon-coated 8-core or 24-core optical fibers. When these ribbon-coated 8-core or 24-core optical fibers are employed, a separating apparatus is used for branching and connecting them. It is desirable for this separating apparatus to cause no damage to the ribbon-coated optical fibers and exert no influence (no increased loss) upon transmitted light even under active or actually transmitted state (in which light is transmitted therethrough).
Known as such a separating apparatus is that disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-102303. Namely, this apparatus for separating (or tool for dividing) a ribbon-coated multicore optical fiber is a tool for splitting the ribbon-coated multicore optical fiber in a longitudinal direction so as to separate a predetermined length of a terminal section or middle section thereof into a single-core optical fiber or a plurality of multicore optical fibers. It is equipped with a cutting member composed of two sets of arc plates. While holding a ribbon-coated multicore optical fiber, the cutting member is relatively moved so as to shear the ribbon-coated multicore optical fiber. In this state, the apparatus is moved in the longitudinal direction of the ribbon-coated multicore optical fiber so as to split the latter.